Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Creamy Yukon gold mashed potatoes infused with garlic-steeped milk, butter, and sour cream, finished with fresh chives. A classic side ready in about 30 minutes.
- 4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (about 10 potatoes), peeled and quartered
- 1 1/3 cups whole milk
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish
- Place the potato chunks in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
- While the potatoes cook, heat the milk with the smashed garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat until just steaming — you're looking for the milk to become infused with garlic flavor, not to actually boil. Remove from heat and set aside; discard the garlic cloves at this point if you'd prefer a smoother finish, or leave them in for extra flavor.
- Drain the potatoes well and return them to the pot. Set the pot over very low heat and mash immediately with a potato masher or electric hand mixer — mashing while the potatoes are still hot keeps the texture light rather than gummy.
- Drizzle in the hot garlic milk a little at a time, mashing as you go until you reach your desired texture. Cut the butter into chunks and mash it in until fully incorporated.
- Fold in the sour cream and 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, tasting and adjusting the seasoning as needed.
- Serve warm, drizzled with a little extra butter if you like and finished with a scatter of fresh chives.
Chef's Note: Steeping the garlic in warm milk rather than mincing it directly into the potatoes is what gives this version its rounded, mellow flavor — the gentle heat softens the sharp bite of raw garlic without losing its depth. Mashing the potatoes the moment they're drained and still piping hot matters more than it might seem; potatoes that sit and cool even briefly before mashing tend to turn gluey rather than light and fluffy.
Yukon golds are the right choice here for their naturally buttery texture, though red potatoes make a fine substitute if that's what you have. As a rough guide when scaling this for a crowd, plan on about half a pound of potatoes per person — this batch is sized for eight generous side-dish servings, but it scales up cleanly for a holiday table.
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